FWP bear specialist: High activity, do your part

It has not been what we would consider a good natural food year. Bear activity has been high throughout the summer, which means this fall you may see conflicts and bear activity significantly increase.  

So far this spring and summer, we have had 271 black bear conflict calls in the northern part of FWP Region 1, with a majority of those coming from Whitefish. Most of those conflicts are bears in unsecured garbage and birdfeeders. 

Over the last few years, the bear resistant containers have significantly helped lower conflicts in the Whitefish area, but time and time again we see they do not hold up against bears due to human error, including having a broken latch, not shutting the can property, and overfilling the can. 

The cans are working. We have also received many videos and reports of the cans working well. Where the bears are really getting into issues is the outskirts of Whitefish where people have not implemented bear resistant containers.

The bears are already starting to come back down from feeding on berries in the mountains, and at this point, their hyperphagia really kicks in. Bears are extremely opportunistic and looking for any food source to pack on the calories, and fruit trees have a lot of calories and are in many people’s yards.

A lot of people think that bears in fruit trees are natural and not a big deal. But you should do your best to make sure your fruit is picked or properly secured and inaccessible to bears.

There are a lot of fruit trees scattered along the valley bottom, in orchards, in towns, and in people’s backyards. Bears are extremely smart, curious, opportunistic, and food driven. You may not care that bears are having snacks in your fruit trees, but if bears get a food reward, they will be anchored in that area for a while, which means they will also visit your neighbors looking for food.  

This creates an issue for everyone. The longer bears hang around a property, the more time they have to snoop and seek opportunities to get into unsecured attractants. They also learn that being around homes is comfortable and OK, which is something we want to teach them is not OK for both their safety and ours.  

Even though you may not care that bears are hanging in your yard, your neighbors may not be as tolerant of bears. They may not have attractants properly secured on their properties. Ultimately, unsecured attractants and intolerance could potentially lead to the bears' demise, as well as potentially create unsafe circumstances for people.  

Please reconsider planting fruit trees unless you have plans to properly secure them with an electric fence or pick them right away. If you have fruit trees that you never use, consider removing the trees and replacing them with non-fruit bearing trees.  

If you can pick the fruit, please do so ASAP, or the bears might beat you to it. You could consider donating fruit to local food banks, cideries, or animal centers. Please check out the Flathead Fruit Gleaning Facebook group to connect with people in the community that have trees they want picked or are looking to help pick someone's fruit trees.

As always, please contact us ASAP to report bear conflicts. Do not wait a few days or weeks as it can get progressively worse.  

We ask that you hold yourselves and your neighbors accountable and do your part to help us and the bears this fall. As always, we will have to prioritize calls as they come in, and we only have so many people and traps, and we cover a very large area.

Here are some things you can do to make sure you're doing your part in protecting your property and helping to keep bears out of your neighborhood.
  

Put up electric fencing around all bird coops and livestock. 

Secure garbage in a sturdy enclosure away from windows and doors or invest in a bear resistant garbage container. Put garbage out the morning of pick up. Make sure the container is properly latched and not overfilled. If the latch is broken, please contact the City of Whitefish at [email protected] or 406-863-2456. 

Take down all bird feeders and suet cakes. DO NOT FEED wildlife. It is illegal and always attracts more animals than you may intend. 

Store all pet food and livestock feed within the house or a sturdy enclosure.  

Invest in motion sensor alarms that help in deterring bears.  

After you use your grill, turn it up high to burn off any excess food and grease. Make sure to clean the grease trap. 

Keep garage doors shut when you leave or if you are not actively in and out as we have had numerous bears going into open garages to get garbage.  

If a bear is on your property, make it leave. Bang pots and pans, yell at the bear, and use air horns or car alarms to scare it off. Please refrain from using guns as we have dealt with many accidents due to people trying to scare bears away with guns. The human voice is often the best deterrent as most bears do not want to deal with people.  

 
Justine Vallieres is the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 bear conflict management specialist.